Displaced Brus in Tripura to hold sit-in demanding relief

Several organisations of displaced Brus, who are living in the state, would stage a sit-in demonstration on December 13, demanding resumption of relief materials and immediate steps for their resettlement, a statement said on Monday.

The displaced Brus, living in relief camps in North Tripura district, would stage their demonstration in front of the district magistrate's office in Dharmanagar, said the statement issued jointly by the Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples' Forum (MBDP) and the Mizoram Bru Indigenous Democratic Movement (MBIDM).

The decision was taken at a meeting held in Naisingpara camp.

The meeting, which was chaired by MBDPF chief A Sawibunga, expressed serious concerns over stopping of relief materials and the government's failure to take steps for the repatriation process.

"We request the central government and the state government of Tripura for immediate release of ration, cash- dole and other relief facilities as usual, till all the displaced Brus are completely rehabilitated," the statement said.

The arrears for the unpaid allowance for October and November should also be cleared, it said.

"It is already nine days as on today that the inmates are not getting ration and it is already three months that the cash-dole is not distributed," it said.

If the ration and cash-dole remain suspended for another 10-15 days, lots of people would died due to starvation and the situation might go out of hand, the statement said.

The Centre stopped the ration on October 1 after which six Brus died of starvation and then the Tripura government gave the rations for November, Swaibunga said.

November 30 was the deadline for repatriation to Mizoram, he added.

Swaibunga said if the Centre fails to convince the Mizoram to rehabilitate the displaced Brus, they could be resettled in Tripura.

Earlier, Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb said they could be rehabilitated in his state if similar rehabilitation package, as that of Mizoram, is extended.

If the demands are not met, about 5,000 Brus would march from the Naisingpara relief camp to Agartala in February to meet and submit memorandums to the chief minister and the governor of Tripura, Swaibunga said.

They would also stage an indefinite sit-in in Delhi in March and try to submit memorandums to the prime minister and the Union home minister.